Sandboxing of tabs for security -- simpler security model than Vista (and gets in a dig to MS on that)

Malware and phishing blacklists, continually maintained, and available to others via API

Google gears -- enables persistence of apps

Open source, repeated at length.

Here are some initial thoughts. Opinions, not facts.

Chrome will initially steal share from FFox, as early adopters embrace speed and features. By 2009, Chrome will begin eating significantly into IE share. Some computer manufacturers start offering Chrome as default browser in late 2009, citing speed, security, stability.

Chrome will take share based on speed and UI. Each tab running as its own process will make the browser seem far more nimble than IE or FFx or Opera.

If the comic is any indication, the first target market for Chrome are technical thought-leaders. For example, this isn't your typical comic book dialogue: ...but the ones that sort of look like pointers could also be integers that just happen to have the same address as an object on the object heap...

People will express fear that Google will use Chrome to spy on users. This is unfounded, imho, because (a) the opensource community will ensure there are no malevolent features built in, and (b) Google is already tracking most of us more than we realize, through search and Gmail and Docs

Ironic: they put a great deal of thought into UI, but the comic itself used an oversized screen and required (on my FFox at least) an annoying scroll

Expect to see dedicated shopping bots built as Gear apps. As Adwords Editor (desk app) is 100 times more convenient than Adwords web, so will a Gears shopping comparison engine be 100 times more convenient than current web based comparison shopping sites.

The malware and phishing blacklists will get adopted widely through their APIs, leading to a safer web for all. Woe to any retailer who intentionally or accidentally gets on the Google blacklists.

Microsoft should view Chrome as a significant threat. (Indeed, a few comic panels seem obliquely reference IE and Office.) This is much larger than a browser war -- this is the new OS.

I think Chrome will be great for users. I'm eagerly looking forward to downloading it and trying it out.

In the background of one panel of the comic there's a speed limit sign, indicating a top speed of 10^100. The sign is right: Google is setting the laws of today's web.